Fearful of SaaS-based Software Test Management Tools?

Fearful of SaaS-based Software Test Management Tools?

In the previous post, I extolled the virtues of software as a service (SaaS) for testing and development. When compared with on-site solutions (i.e. internal servers), SaaS consistently wins for its greater convenience and lower cost.

But the software testing process doesn’t thrive on convenience or cost alone. Security is equally (if not more) important. After all, what good is an affordable software test management tool if hackers and bugs render it useless?

So how does SaaS stack up to on-premise software testing solutions when security is your primary criterion?

I can answer this question in two ways.

The short answer. If you use Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, etc.) or SalesForce, you’re already using SaaS software. Moreover, you use these to manage company emails and customer data – information that is often more sensitive than most software testing requirements.

Not satisfied with that response? Then let’s look at the long answer.

Can SaaS Make the Software Testing Process Safer?

We’ve discussed SaaS security in prior posts, but it’s worth revisiting again. We still receive questions like the following:

“We love the idea of SaaS – but we’d prefer hosting the data on our own servers for security reasons. Will you ever offer on-premise software test management tools?”

In a word “No.” But if we ever did offer on-site solutions, it certainly wouldn’t be to address security concerns – and here’s why.

On-site test management solutions are not necessarily safer.

Perhaps in the old days when internal servers weren’t connected to the Internet, you could potentially argue that they were relatively secure. But in most software testing environments today, there’s almost always an access point to and from the Web.

And even if you had a team of on-site security professionals working around the clock to block every virus, hacker, or worm, you also face potential hardware failures. These are inevitable.

But does all this mean SaaS is any better?

I can’t speak for all SaaS testing solutions out there. But at Testuff, I can give an unequivocal “Yes!”

1. External Threats to the Software Testing Process

We don’t simply have a security team that works around the clock. We ARE a security team that works around the clock. This is one of the core pillars of our business model. We develop quality software test management tools, and we provide a safe testing environment immune to external attacks by:

Monitoring our servers 24/7 – 365

Backing up your data on an hourly basis

Saving your information in multiple locations

Frequently updating our servers with security patches

Implementing data recovery technology to safeguard your information

2. Hardware Failures & Data Security

Like most hosting solutions, we have numerous hardware redundancies to ensure that a physical breakdown of any component is localized, temporary, and insignificant.

3. Internal Threats to the Software Testing Process

The only way to access your database is through usernames and passwords. We don’t even store your password on the server – just the hashes.

In addition:

All communication with Testuff servers is SSL-encrypted

We never store your credit card info or address

We make routine back-ups of all your data

This means that even your team can neither accidentally nor deliberately compromise our servers.

In a nutshell, SaaS and our approach to the software testing process are supremely secure.

But don’t take my word for it. Try it out yourself. Keep your current on-site solutions in place and take advantage of our 30-day free trial. Compare both solutions side-by-side.

I’m confident that you’ll reach the same conclusion that thousands of clients have already reached – Testuff’s SaaS-based software test management tools are not only more affordable and convenient than most on-site solutions, but they also offer a level security that is equal, if not superior, to most products in the market.